>> tonight, the u.s. conducted missile strikes against syria. news outlets reporting the strikes targeted a syrian military airfield in the first direct assault against the government by the u.s. after a chemical weapons attack earlier this week against civilians that the u.s. says it blames on the assad regime.

president trump spoke about the attacks earlier from florida. a syrian trump: dictator launched a horrible chemical weapons attack on innocent civilians. , heg a deadly nerve agent choked out the lives of hopeless men, women and -- helpless men, women and children. it was a slow and brutal death for so many. even beautiful babies were cruelly murdered in this very barbaric attack. no child of god should ever suffer such horror. tonight i order a targeted military strike on the airfield in syria from where the chemical

attack was launched. vital national security interest of the united states to prevent and determine the spread and use of deadly chemical weapons. there can be no dispute that syria used chemical weapons. chemical weapons convention, they ignored the urging of the un security council. years of previous attempts at changing assad's behavior have all failed and failed very dramatically. crisissult, the refugee continues to deepen and the region continues to destabilize, threatening the united states and its allies.

tonight i call on all civilized nations to join us in seeking to end the slaughter and bloodshed in syria. terrorism of all kinds and all types. we ask for god's wisdom as we face the challenge of our very troubled world. we pray for the lives of the wounded and for the souls of those who have passed and we hope that as long as america stands for justice and peace and harmony, we will in the end prevail. americaht and god bless and the entire world. thank you. reporter: mr. president, what is

your justification for the strike? >> we will be opening the phone lines and getting your reaction to the u.s. strikes in syria tomorrow morning on "washington journal peer go you can join the discussion at 7:00 a.m. eastern. senator john mccain chaired the armed services committee and lindsey graham released a statement that said in part that we salute the heroism of the the armed forces acting on instructions of the commander entry -- commander in chief. by as innocentnd civilians are slaughtered. bob corker said it is critical that assad knows he will no longer enjoy impunity. that theortant

president communicate with congress. also, it was said that the military strikes send a clear signal that the u.s. will stand up for the norms against chemical weapons. we must lead the international community in a negotiated settlement and this can only be done through a political process and not a military campaign. that was senator cornyn. cardin.ator onalso spoke at the council foreign relations. hour.s about an